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WA workers unions fare better as unions struggle nationally
By Paris Jackson
As major employers across the Northwest continue to slash staff and close stores, some workers allege those are a part of efforts to bust unions. Seattle companies like Starbucks, Amazon and REI are among those that have drawn scrutiny for their actions related to unions.
Nationally, unions are in a tough spot, according to the Associate Director of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, Andrew Hedden at the University of Washington.
But Washington has the 3rd highest union density in the country. Hedden says that means the state is a comparatively good place for unionized workers.
“The union density in the United States, that's the percentage of members of workers who are in a union, is at a historical low. It's around 10% of the workforce in the United States belongs to a union. And the numbers are even lower for workers in the private sector. Washington state, however, is a bit of an exception to that. Its workforce is about 18% union,” Hedden said.
But Heddon says that doesn’t mean unionizing in Washington is any easier. Hedden says federal labor laws are outdated ,and the laws date back to 1930s when things were much different.
“The primary employer is no longer a single factory worker. Workers are all concentrated. You have workers decentralized across lots of different places. Service, healthcare, retail. Those are the some of the biggest industries in the United States,” Hedden said. “It's no longer manufacturing. So labor law is a bit - it's out of date. And companies have developed over decades ways of circumventing and getting around labor law.”
The Washington state legislature can make some difference. For example, in this last legislative session, it passed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for nannies, housekeepers, cooks, and other domestic workers.
As far as the future of unions? Hedden says unless there’s a big change in federal law – there will likely not be an increase nationally in union numbers in the private sector.
